Crystal River current., 1887-04-02
supEasri4sons OF Or 1cAMsLERs
Racing Men Who. VIII Not Bet at Ger
tain Timcs-Lucky and Unlucky

/ tain YtmcS-ILucXy ana Unlucky
| III Days. ~
Sporting men are noted as being the
most superstitious persons. Those who
bet on horses are all more or loss in
auenced by certain events which they
look upon as omens OF good or i'll luck.
All these signs they eagerly look for,
and are influenced by them on the way
they place their money on the steeds
whose chances they favor.
mo, I'm not betting to-day" was
the reply of one of the turfmen, in an
1 swer to an inquiry from another of his
ilk whether he had bought any pools
on the races.
.Bustedp'' was another laconic in
quiry.
t"No, but 1 laced one of my shoes
up wrong this morning. It's bad
sign. I'll let them alone to-day"
"Are you superstitious?'
~ frankly confess that l am," he re-
piled. as he lit cigar, ''and don't
know of a sporting man or gambler
that is not superstitious, and furthermore
1 do not believe there is a human being
who is not OF course, some are more
/ 80 than others; but take gamblers and
horsemen as class and you will find
that each one has his peculiar quilp.'
Now, this morning 1 laced my shoe
up wrong. If had left it that way it
would have been IL lucky day for me,
but did not Iunlaced it, and I'll bet
horse he would break his neck before
he came under the string"
"That's quite interesting. Would
| mind irwin rr l,1n nf
periencc? What do you consider u
lucky omen9''
you want to know what l consider
lucky omen eh? That's just as the
idea strikes me- used to count white
horses. Suppos:ng that l was standing
at the corner of Broadway and Wall
street. I'd take out my watch, when l
had one. and time myself, and count the
number of white horses that turn d in
| to Wall street from Broadway in five
minutes. would sometimes go on the
odd numbers and sometimes on the
even, Like this: If l made up my
mind on even horses and an even num-
Der went BY during the five minutes,
then would be lucky, and vice versa"
"I'vc heard of gamblers visiting for
tunc-tellers for tips. Did you ever vis-
it them?'
''AIany a time. sir. Here's an in
stance. I'm red hot republican, and
Mt the time of the presidential CAM
paign was backing Blaine for all was
worth, when went one day to see
for,une-teller. Says she: You have
been making foolish bets; 90 and bet
the other way all that you have-all
the money that you can beg or borrow
told her was betting on Blaine and
she said wait Then she went into
another room and came out in about
minute. Cleveland will be elected as
sure as you sit there in that chair. but
he will never serve his term out That
| was paralizer, but took stock in it,
for she never fooled me in her life. 1
hedged and bet on Grover on her ac-
count, and ma'lc 81 600 clear above my
hedges. and off kell.', the bookmaker.
Here's another instance from the same
| woman. hal been playing in hard
luck, till had only $l2 left. went
to her and told her how was fixed,
and that 1 wanted tip on the races.
She told me to read the names of the
horses. did SO, and when I got
through the list she said: 'Tilford is the
one am sure Of; bet on Tilford.' I
went down to the track. and when the
horses went to the post there were only
four tickets sold on Tilford. THIS was
a bonanza, you know, if he won. 1
bought one SIS ticket The track was a
regular duck pond; slush up to the
horses knees. Tilford came in last
Oh. 1 forgot he was entered in two
races that day. The next race he was
in heard that Mike DAILY, his owner,
wanted to scratch him, but the Judges
would not have it. This wasn't very
encouraging, but stuck to him and
put my last flyer on him. His jockey
famed him with every jump. and
brought him in n winner by two
lengths. 1 got five hundred and odd
dollars for my ticket. So much for for
tune -tellers' tips. Some fortune-tellers
are snide, but take those that are edu-
Gated or have it born naturally in them,
and they get there, rs a general rule.'
You gamble on cards, do you?"
20. yes. L make my Living as sport
ing manp"
"Does your superstition. affect you in
playing cardsp"
"Yes, indeed. If am going to play
cards for money l always hunt up a
beggar and give him some money for
luck. l have walked sometimes two
miles to find beggar. know a gam
bier who goes daily to an Italian on
Green street, who has three little cana
ries that tell fortunes by pulling an
envelope out of pack. He always
follows the adv &C of the bird, and l
have actually seen him she'd tears over
some of the slips he got not from
grief, but from vexatioD, if it went
against his grain"
Il have had gamblers tell me that
they had acquired the habit of trying
their luck in different WAYS. but l claim
it's not a habit; it's nature. born in
man, and il never GENES out. Why, l
know dozens of people who laugh at
superstition that will have a regular
case of the dumps if they see the new
moon over their right shoulder for the
first time. They think if they see it
over the left shoulder and make a wish